Rick

Two

A splitting pain shot down the side of my ribs as I was thrown onto the hard ground. Grunting, I scrabbled to get onto my elbows, desperately trying to get away. But my eyes were hazy, and I began to feel lightheaded as the pain overwhelmed me. A hard boot met my injured side, and I cried out in pain as I thrashed on the ground. My eyelids felt so heavy—coaxing me to close them and shut out everything.

"Stupid boy," someone spat. Another kick to my back, and I choked out a broken sob. I felt a hand on my torn shirt and tensed, bracing myself for another blow. "Stop fighting," the same voice said close to my ear. "You're just making it harder for yourself." And, as a rebellious 17-year-old, I did the exact opposite as he asked. Lashing out my leg in hopes of tripping the man, I only writhed helplessly as he simply stepped to the side and delivered a sharp punch to my stomach. Gasping, I doubled over in pain and finally yielded to the darkness creeping around the corner of my eyelids.

I woke up in complete darkness, my head a jumbled mess as I tried to remember what happened. Trying to stand up quickly, a hot bolt of pain shot down my side and I whimpered as I collapsed back down. Memories came rushing back to me as I felt around my surroundings, realizing that I was in a holding cell. I remembered walking back home on a warm day after school, hands in my pockets as I kicked the stones in my path. Turning a corner, I never heard the person behind me as he pressed a cloth to my face behind my back, covering my nose and mouth. Yelping in surprise, I tried to turn around but he was much stronger than I had anticipated. I began to panic as I realized what was happening, and I attempted to call out for help. But my head began swarming as my eyes slowly drooped and the cheerful, sunny day faded away. I've been kidnapped, I realized as panic rose in my veins. Where am I? How long has it been? Cold laughter sounded from outside my cell, and I whipped around to see the same man who beat me standing on the other side of the bars. My ribs began throbbing as soon as I met his eyes, and I clutched my side as I took in his ruthless smile.

"You're awake," he says. The man sounds bored as he takes in my weak state. "Took you long enough."

"Who are you?" I croaked. "What the fuck have you done to me?"

The man smiled. "Language, boy," he scolded. "I haven't done anything yet." I shudder as I realized what he was insinuating.

"You kidnapped me," I snarled, the fire returning to my eyes. "You took me from my family. Let. Me. Go."

He smirks as he saunters closer to the metal bars. "Yes, I did," he said casually. "But oh, you had so much potential that I couldn't resist."

I ignored the confusion in my head and glared at the man, taking in his features. He had a rugged look, tousled dark hair, and blue eyes shone against the darkness. Fit, tall, and muscled. Early thirties. While I took him in, he seemed to do the same to me.

"You're handsome," he said casually, tucking his hands in his pockets. "I could get a lot of money from the women if I sold you." I remained silent as he looked over the rest of my body, his eyes stopping at the hand clutching my pulsing side. His gaze softened as he realized what I was doing.

"I might have gone a little too far. But I warned you." He paused. "Are you okay?"

I just stared at him, meeting his bright eyes. Sighing, he pulled a key out of his pocket and swung it around. "I guess I'll have to find out myself since you've suddenly gone mute." Before I could protest, he unlocked the cell door and sauntered towards me. Fear bubbled in my veins as I remembered what this man had done to me, and I scrambled to scoot away from him. He stopped, looking amused, but as he took in my shaking body, the smile disappeared from his face.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," he said gently. "I'm sorry about earlier. You weren't listening, and I lost my temper." I continued to scoot away from him and my heart began racing as my back hit the cold wall. Realizing that I was trapped, I could only wait, terrified, as the man approached me. His feet stopped an inch away from my body, and he squatted as he lifted my chin to look into my eyes.

"I promise," he said, "that I won't hurt you. Let me help."

I suddenly felt so tired, and I sagged against the wall as a wave of helplessness washed over me. His hand moved behind my head quickly before I hit the wall, and my hand dropped from my side as the fatigue and pain took over. My eyes were barely open as the man slowly lifted my shirt and inspected my torso. "Shit," he muttered. "I'm sorry." I hissed as he touched the sensitive skin above my ribs and squeezed my eyes shut. 

"A few broken ribs, but mainly just internal bleeding." He cursed. "This will put us off by a lot, Matthew."

I opened one eye at my name. "How do you know my name?" I choked out.

He continued eyeing my injuries as he simply replied, "I did my research."

I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but he simply tapped a finger against my lips, silencing me.

"I'm Rick, by the way." He said instead. "And this is my home."

My vision began darkening as I was overwhelmed by the throbbing pain in my torso, and I could barely make out Rick's "Not again," before I succumbed to the darkness.